Read the sidebar: "The Young Producer Study."

Change your mindset. Forget the stereotypes you hold about young agents—although technologically skilled, they do more than thumb through their Twitter feeds. "Doing things the way that worked for your generation is not the same way it works for millennials," the 32-year-old Rizzi said. "Stop trying to fit a square peg into a round hole."
Communicate respectfully and don't be condescending—most young agents come to this field inexperienced. Give them access to information, as millennials want to know the agency's bigger picture. "When millennials ask questions, they aren't being insubordinate," Cook said. "They just want to know why and what's next."
Offer challenges. While it may seem as though millennials lack employer loyalty, one hypothesis for job hopping is that millennials feel unchallenged in their current workplaces. According to Reagan Consulting's Young Producer Study, young agents are adept at multi-tasking and thrive in and enjoy fast-paced environments. Meet with young agents and change their goals, train them in other departments or ask for their help in social media projects.
Go remote. Working outside the office isn't a new concept, but because millennials value work/life balance, they are more likely to ask for and enjoy working remotely. Jason Cass, owner of JDC Insurance Group, works in the basement of his home. The 34-year-old asks his clients to understand that because he works out of his home, they can't come to his home and make a payment.
"Not once has someone told me that they can't do business with me because I work from my home," he said. "Agents can't get over that. They think consumers have those misconceptions."
Embrace a cause. Just as young agents are interested in making a difference in people's lives, they also are highly conscientious of the environment and other social causes. "They will band together at the speed of light to boycott both products and employers whose gains are ill begotten through exploitation or any perceived wrongdoing," Rizzi said. Choose a charity and raise funds through contests, run/walks or casual dress days—but don't pressure employees to participate, as that is a turnoff. Compliment your agency's charity efforts by offering employees a day or two each year to perform service work for charities of their own choosing
Insurance employers can also attract millennials by emphasizing how insurance protects clients from losses and helps rebuild lives after disasters strike.
Mentor. Recognize the difference between "mentoring" and "training." Millennials want knowledge and wisdom, in addition to checklists and proficiencies. Give as much insight into philosophy, reasoning and failures as you would to skills and policies. Teach your new hires how to work smarter and harder—how to acquire and understand clients, their buying habits, needs and desires; their situations and how they manage risk
Cass, the National Young Committee chairperson for the Big I, said, "We don't want to know what to say on a cold call, I have consultants who can teach me that. We want to know how you left us with the greatest industry ever. Mentoring is taking an agent to lunch and asking about family and what kinds of business they want to write, where they want to be in 5 years, and letting me know that you went through the same trials as me."

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OMG! You Work with Millennials!

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